(Written by Noelle Eberts) Math has a reputation for being the subject that only a few people are good at and even fewer really enjoy. As a parent, teacher, or tutor, it’s difficult to motivate learning especially when the subject is one most people struggle with. Here are a few tips to make math fun for students and those helping them learn it.

Games

Nothing motivates learning like competition. Whether it’s in a classroom or just one student working alone, being faced with a challenge can really inspire students to work. In math, this can be as simple as having the student or students compete in timed drills on basic math facts. Students can also be divided into teams and given questions that are worth points. Flash cards and the free website xtramath.org are a useful tool as well and can double as practice exercises if you have the student make the cards themselves. [Read more…]

(Written by Cathy John) While you may not necessarily be the most mathematically minded person in the world, you can use some everyday tactics to back up your child’s maths homework. The first thing to focus on is getting up to speed with what they’re actually learning, while knowing how to encourage good practices without doing the work for them. It’s also important to check in with teachers, and to make use of extra resources to make things easier and more productive for children, regardless of their individual abilities.

Read Through Their Textbooks

Make sure you’re on the same page as your children by reading through their textbooks and becoming familiar with the kind of work they’re doing; you may also want to get a teacher’s copy of the syllabus, which you can then refer to if there is a more significant problem. However, you want to be helping, not acting as a second teacher outside of school. [Read more…]

(Written by Noelle Eberts and Elle Yi) Parents need to make sure that kids are thinking about math in real life. Mrs. Kerri Bianchi who is the assistant principal of Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary school indicates that some children understand the mathematical concepts but struggle with fluency. Others are fluent in the memorization of facts but don’t necessarily understand the math concept.

Getting children involved in a subject when they may not be so inclined is pretty easy if you provide a competitive way for them to learn. Most children are competitive and they all love to play games. Often just a brain game isn’t enough and if they are playing physical games they may not get the point. The ultimate plan is to involve them in both at the same time. Enter Math Basketball.

Math Basketball is an inspiring way to teach one child or even better, several children at the same time by offering them the best of both worlds. With Math Basketball they can compete in the mind game and for those children who have a lesser aptitude for the brainier portion of the game, the physical skills part of it will make them feel more comfortable. [Read more…]